Image recording/reproducing device with dual-operated switch depending upon orientation of the device

ABSTRACT

An image recording/replaying device, such as a video camera, has various operating switches which have enhanced operability so as to suit a mode of use. The image recording/replaying device includes an image display section chat is foldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported at a body internally incorporating a taking lens. The image recording-replaying device also includes a control switch including an operating key and a plurality of contacts disposed at end portions The control switch further includes direction selection switches which are such that the directions used within the display screen of the image display section corresponding to the directions of the positions of the four end portions of the operating key are changed in accordance with a change in the orientation of the image display section resulting from rotation of the image display section.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a technology for, in accordance withstates of use, making optimally operable various operating switches thatare provided on a body of an image recording/replaying device includingan image display section which is foldably and unfoldably supported withrespect to the body.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a related image recording/replaying device, such as a videocamera, has an image display section using a liquid crystal displaypanel.

Types of the image display section include one which is integrallyprovided with a housing of the body of the video camera (hereinafterreferred to as the “fixed image display section”) and one which isfoldably, unfoldably, and rotatably provided at the housing (hereinafterreferred to as the “movable image display section”).

As mentioned above, the fixed image display section is integrallyprovided with the body. Since it does not require a mechanism forfolding, unfolding, and rotating the image display section, the entirevideo camera can be easily reduced in size. However, since the angle ofthe image display section with respect to the body is always constant,for example, the image display section becomes difficult to see at thetime of low-angle shooting. Therefore, freedom with which the imagedisplay section is used at the time of shooting is limited, so that, forexample, it is difficult to perform a shooting operation.

The movable image display section has a structure allowing it to befoldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported at the body by a uniaxialor biaxial hinge, so that the angle of the image display section can beadjusted in a suitable state in accordance with various states of use.

In particular, the advantage of a video camera having a movable imagedisplay section tends to diversify its states of use. For example, sincesuch a video camera tends to be combined with various other devices inrecent years, the video camera, like a cellular phone, can have a mailtransmission/reception function and a network browsing function bymaking it directly connectable to a network, such as the Internet.

However, in general, the operating switches for performing variousoperations of the video camera are disposed at locations and have shapesthat allow them to be easily operated while the body is held at the timeof shooting, so that, in the case where the image display section isaccommodated in the body in a state of use other than the shootingstate, that is, with its display screen facing the outside, when variousoperations are carried out while viewing the display screen, theoperating switches are difficult to operate.

Therefore, when the video camera is directly connectable to a network,such as the Internet, for example, inputting of characters fortransmitting and receiving a mail or browsing a network could only becarried out by either using the operating switches in not easilyoperable states or using an additional special-purpose operating switch.The provision of the special-purpose operating switch inevitably resultsin increases costs.

In view of the aforementioned problems, it is an object of the presentinvention to make it possible to enhance operability of variousoperating switches so as to suit a state of use in an imagerecording/replaying device, such as a video camera.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

To overcome the aforementioned problems, according to the presentinvention, there is provided an image recording/replaying deviceincluding an image display section foldably, unfoldably, and rotatablysupported at a body including a taking lens. The imagerecording/replaying device comprises a control switch comprising anoperating key and a plurality of contacts disposed at end portions andan intersection of a cross-shaped portion of the operating key incorrespondence with end portions and the central portion of theoperating key, in which, by pressing any one of the end portions and thecentral portion of the operating key, the contact disposed incorrespondence with the pressed portion is closed. The control switchfurther comprises direction selection switches which are such thatparticular directions within a display screen of the image displaysection correspond to the directions of the positions of the four endportions of the operating key. The direction selection switches are suchthat the directions used within the display screen of the image displaysection and corresponding to the directions of the positions of the fourend portions of the operating key are changed in accordance with achange in the orientation of the image display section resulting fromrotation of the image display section.

Therefore, in various states of use of the image recording/replayingdevice resulting from the folding, unfolding, and rotation of the imagedisplay section, it is possible to match the directions in the displayscreen of the image display section and the directions that are selectedby the direction selecting switches of the controller switch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows, along with FIGS. 2 to 13, an embodiment of an imagerecording/replaying device, and is a perspective view of the imagerecording/replaying device when an image display panel is accommodated.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image recording/replaying devicewhen an image display section is in an ordinary shooting state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image recording/replaying devicewhen the image display section is in a reversed accommodated state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image recording/replaying devicewhen the image display section is in a forwardly facing shooting state.

FIG. 5 shows a state of use in a reversed accommodated state in amodification of a body whose shape is partly modified.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a control switch.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along line VII-VII shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which a direction selectionswitch has been pressed when the control switch is viewed from below it.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the control switch.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which a directionselection switch has been pressed.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a state in which a determinationswitch has been pressed.

FIG. 12 is a left side view of the control switch without an operatingkey.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the control switch without the operating key,a resilient member, and a cover.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing, along with FIGS. 15 and 16, ascreen display used when carrying out an operation using the controlswitch. FIG. 14 shows a screen display just before carrying out theoperation.

FIG. 15 shows a state of a screen display resulting from selection of afunction button shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows a state of a screen display resulting from the selectionof the function button in FIG. 14.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereunder, an embodiment of an image recording/replaying device of thepresent invention will be given with reference to the attached drawings.In the embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to asmall video camera.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a video camera 1 comprises a body 2 includinga vertically long rectangular housing and an image display section 3foldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported at one side surface of thebody 2 by a hinge mechanism (described later).

A taking lens 4 and an EVF (electric view finder) are disposed on theupper portion of the body 2. For example, a recording/replayingmechanism for recording information onto and replaying information froma removable recording medium (externally-mounting-type memory, such aswhat is called a memory stick, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, etc.),which is not shown, is disposed at a side of the body 2 opposite to theside where the image display section 3 is supported. An accommodationrecess 2 a for accommodating the image display section 3 when it isfolded is formed at the side where the image display section 3 issupported. Accommodation protrusions 2 b and 2 b for accommodating asupporting section of the hinge mechanism for supporting the imagedisplay section 3 are provided above the accommodation recess 2 a.

Forward-and-rearward, upward-and-downward, and leftward-and-rightwarddirections are defined as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, a horizontaldirection (x-x′ axis direction), which is a direction parallel to theoptical axis of the taking lens, is the forward-and-rearward direction;a direction (y-y′ axis direction) perpendicular to the x-x′ axis in avertical plane including the x-x′ direction is the upward-and-downwarddirection; and a direction (z-z′ axis direction) perpendicular to boththe x-x′ axis direction and the y-y′ axis direction is theleftward-and-rightward direction. (The x direction is the forwarddirection, the x′ direction is the rearward direction, the y directionis the upward direction, the y′ direction is the downward direction, thez direction is the leftward direction, and the z′ direction is therightward direction.)

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image display section 3 has a liquidcrystal panel (hereinafter referred to as the “LCD panel”) having ascreen size of the order of 2.5 inches mounted and secured to the innersides of a frame 5 having a vertically long rectangular opening 5 a inthe central portion. The LCD panel 6 is covered by a cover 7 mounted tothe frame 5. Therefore, the LCD panel 6 is disposed inside a spacedefined by the frame 5 and the cover 7 so that an image display section6 a is exposed from the opening 5 a of the frame 5.

A hinge mechanism 8 supports the image display section 3 having theabove-described structure so that it can be freely folded and unfoldedin the directions of a double-headed arrow α from a state shown in FIG.1 in which the image display section 3 is accommodated in theaccommodation recess 2 so that the image display surface 6 a facesinward (hereinafter referred to as the “accommodated state”) to a stateindicated by alternate long and two short dashed lines in FIG. 2 inwhich the image display section 3 is unfolded by an angle ofapproximately 90 degrees (hereinafter referred to as the “unfoldedstate”) with a folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a extending in the x-x′direction as a center of rotation; and so that it can freely rotate toan angle of approximately 270 degrees in the direction of adouble-headed arrow β in FIG. 2 from the unfolded state to a state inwhich the image display surface 6 a shown in FIG. 4 faces forward(hereinafter referred to as the “forwardly facing shooting state”) witha rotational axis 8 b extending in the z-z′ direction as a center ofrotation. The state shown in FIG. 2 in which the image display surfacefaces rearwards after rotation by 90 degrees from the unfolded state isthe “ordinary shooting state.” The state in which the image displaysurface 6 a faces upwards after rotation by 180 degrees is the“low-angle shooting state.” The state shown in FIG. 3 in which the imagedisplay section 3 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 2 a sothat the image display surface 3 faces the outside as a result offolding the image display section 3 without rotating the image displaysection 3 in the low-angle shooting state is the “reversed accommodatedstate.”

The hinge mechanism 8 has a biaxial structure including thefolding-and-unfolding axis 8 a and the rotational axis 8 b, which areshown by phantom lines. As described above, the folding-and-unfoldingaxis 8 a extends in the horizontal direction (that is, the x-x′direction shown in FIG. 1), while the rotational axis 8 b extends in adirection perpendicular to the folding-and-unfolding axis (that is, thez-z′ direction shown in FIG. 2). The hinge mechanism 8 is notstructurally limited as long as it has a biaxial structure including thefolding-and-unfolding axis 8 a and the rotational axis 8 b.

As described above, the image display section 3 can be set at each ofthe states, the accommodated state, unfolded state, ordinary shootingstate, low-angle shooting state, reversed accommodated state, andforwardly facing shooting state, by foldably, unfoldably, and rotatablysupporting the image display section 3 by the hinge mechanism 8.Therefore, in order to detect that the image display section 3 is in anyone of these various states, and, in accordance with the state of theimage display section 3, in order to apply electrical power to the LCDpanel 6 including turning on a backlight, invert a display image, andchange the directions of operating switches so as to match thedirections of the image display surface 6 a of the image display section3 described later, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the video camera 1 has onedetecting means provided towards the lower rear portion of theaccommodation recess of the body 2, and one detecting means each aroundthe folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a and the rotational axis 8 b of thehinge mechanism 8. These detecting means are folding-and-unfolding-statedetecting means 11 for detecting whether the image display section 3 isfolded or unfolded; folding-and-unfolding-angle detecting means 12 fordetecting that the image display section 3 is unfolded to a particularangle; and rotation detecting means 13 for detecting that the imagedisplay section 3 has been rotated to a particular angle. Thefolding-and-unfolding-state detecting means 11, thefolding-and-unfolding-angle detecting means 12, and rotation detectingmeans 13 are formed so that, when the image display section 3 is in aparticular state (described later), a contact is closed by pressing anappropriate presser portion using, for example, an existing contactswitch.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the folding-and-unfolding-state detectingmeans 11 is formed by, for example, disposing a contact switch bodysecured to a substrate (not shown) inside the housing at theaccommodation recess 2 a of the body 2. The switch body has an operatingelement for closing a contact by being pressed, and an end portion 11 aof the operating element is positioned inside a hole 2 c that is formedin the accommodation recess 2 a.

A presser protrusion 5 b is provided at a proper location of the surfaceof the frame 5 so that, when the image display section 3 is folded andaccommodated, the contact of the switch body is closed as a result ofpressing the end portion 11 a of the operating element.

Accordingly, when the image display section 3 is accommodated, the endportion 11 a of the operating element of the folding-and-unfolding-statedetecting means 11 is pressed by the presser protrusion 5 b in order toclose the contact of the switch body. In contrast, in the case where theimage display section 3 is brought into the reversed accommodated stateby temporarily unfolding it, rotating it by 180 degrees, andaccommodating it in the accommodation recess 2 a, since a protrusionwhich can press the end portion 11 a of the operating element of thefolding-and-unfolding-state detecting means 11 is not provided on thecover 7 disposed at the side that comes into contact with the surface ofthe accommodation recess 2 a, the folding-and-unfolding detecting means11 does not turn on due to the closure of the contact of thefolding-and-unfolding detecting means 11.

The folding-and-unfolding-angle detecting means 12 is disposed aroundthe folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a of the hinge mechanism 8. When theimage display section 3 is unfolded from the folded state to an angle of90 degrees with the folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a as the center ofrotation, the folding-and-unfolding-angle detecting means 12 is turnedon as a result of, for example, a contact inside a switch body beingclosed by operation of a presser portion (not shown) which rotates asthe image display section 3 is folded or unfolded. The rotationdetecting means 13 is formed so that it is turned off except when theimage display section 3 is unfolded at an angle of 90 degrees.

The rotation detecting means 13 is disposed around the rotational axis 8b of the hinge mechanism 8. When the image display section 3 is rotatedfrom the unfolded state to a particular angle with the rotational axis 8b as the center, the rotation detecting means 13 is turned on as aresult of, for example, a contact inside a switch body being closed byoperation of a presser portion (not shown) which rotates as the imagedisplay section 3 rotates. The angle at which the rotation detectingmeans 13 is turned on is set at 225 degrees in the video camera 1. Therotation detecting means 13 is formed so that, when the angle ofrotation of the image display section 3 is within a range of from 225 to270 degrees, it is kept on while the contact remains closed, whereas,when the angle of rotation of the image display section 3 is at an angleother than the angles of the aforementioned range, it is turned off.

The body 2 has, for example, a power switch and a mode change-overswitch (not shown) at the back surface thereof, and, as shown in FIGS. 1to 4, a control switch 14 disposed at the front accommodation protrusion2 b with the surface of an operating key (described later) facingleftwards. The control switch 14 is primarily used to perform variousoperations while looking at the EVF or a screen display of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3. As shown in FIG. 3,when the image display section 3 is in the reversed accommodated state,the video camera 1 is primarily used with the vertically longrectangular body 2 having its long side positioned horizontally as aresult of setting it horizontally, and the body is held primarily withthe right hand. The control switch 14 is disposed at a location which isconvenient for performing operations in the reversed accommodated stateof the image display section 3 with the right thumb.

FIGS. 6 to 13 show the structure of the control switch 14. Thedirections indicated in these figures are used as directions of thecontrol switch 14 when it is secured to the body 2. These directions areup, down, front, rear, left, and right.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the control switch 14 comprises five switchesthat are combined into an integral structure, with each switch havingone contact. As described later, the control switch 14 comprisesdirection selection switches A, B, C, and D, and a determination switchE, which are disposed at the four ends and the center of a cross-shapedportion, respectively. Any one of the direction selection switches A, B,C, and D is used to select an item by moving a cursor, a pointer, or aninverted item display to a particular direction within the displayscreen of the image display surface of the image display section 3. Thedetermination switch E is used to determine the selection of the itemperformed by any one of the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D.The control switch 14 is formed by an operating key 15, a resilientmember 16, a contact presser member 17, a cover 18, a base member 19,and a contact member 20.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the portions of the operating key 15 areintegrally formed using acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (ABSresin) so that they can be easily processed and subjected to surfacetreatment, such as printing, and have strength. More specifically, theoperating key 15 comprises a substantially disk-shaped base portion 15 aand a keytop 15 b, which is a leftwardly protruding, substantiallycross-shaped area at the left surface of the base portion 15 a. Acircular cylindrical supporting shaft 15 c and engaging protrusions 15 dare provided at the right surface (back surface) of the base portion 15a. The supporting shaft 15 c protrudes towards the right from the centerof the base portion 15 a, and the engaging protrusions 15 d are disposedat the outer peripheral portion at a 90-degree interval in thecircumferential direction, protrude rightwards, and have respectiveengaging holes.

As described later, the operating key 15 is formed so that, when fourend portions, the top, bottom, front, and rear end portions, and thecentral portion of the substantially cross-shaped keytop 15 bcorresponding to the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D, andthe determination switch E are individually pressed rightwards, fivedifferent movable contacts (described later) of the contact member 20corresponding to these portions are flexed and set on. The surface ofthe keytop 15 b is gently curved upwards and downwards and forward andrearwards. In order to make it easier to distinguish between pressingportions when any one of them is touched with a fingertip, triangularrecesses 15 e are formed in the four end portions of the keytop 15 b,and a circular recess 15 f is formed in the central portion of thekeytop 15 b. As shown in FIG. 6, the direction selection switches A, B,C, and D, and the determination switch E are disposed below the keytop15 b of the operating key 15 so that the top end portion is disposed incorrespondence with the switch A, the bottom end portion with the switchB, the front end portion with the switch C, the rear end portion withthe switch D, and the central portion with the switch E.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the resilient member 16 has a flat annularshape and is formed of, for example, silicone rubber, which is aresilient material, and is externally fitted to the base of thesupporting shaft 15 c of the operating key 15. In the case where thecontrol switch 14 is operated (in particular, when the centerdetermination switch E is operated), when the operating key 15 isreleased, the resilient member 16 urges the operating key 15 to berestored to its original state, improves the feel of the operating key15 when it is pressed, and absorbs sound when the operating key 15 isoperated.

The portions of the contact presser member 17 are integrally formedusing, for example, polybutylene terephthalate resin (PBT) so that ithas a predetermined strength and a proper resiliency.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 13, the contact pressermember 17 comprises an annular outer peripheral portion 17 a and atruncated conical boss 17 b protruding leftwards at the center. Theouter peripheral portion 17 a and the boss 17 b are connected by spokes17 c extending radially at a 90-degree interval in the peripheraldirection at the outer edge of the boss 17 b. Leftwardly protrudingengaging protrusions 17 d are integrally formed at the connectionportions between the outer peripheral portion 17 a and the spokes 17 c.Presser protrusions 17 e, which are righwardly protruding substantiallyannular areas, are formed at the portions near the connection portionsof the spokes 17 c. Outwardly protruding engaging pawls 17 f areintegrally formed at the left end portions of the respective engagingprotrusions 17 d. An insertion hole 17 g for inserting the supportingshaft 15 c of the operating key 15 is formed so as to pass through thecentral portion of the boss 17 b of the contact presser member 17.

The portions of the cover 18 are integrally formed using a tin steelplate (SPTE), and, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 12, the outside diameterof the cover 18 is slightly larger than that of the contact pressermember 17 and is substantially the same as that of the base member 19.

More specifically, the cover 18 comprises a substantially square mainportion 18 a and fan-shaped contact portions 18 b which protruderadially from corners of the main portion 18 a and whose ends contactthe base member 19. A fitting hole 18 c passes through the center of themain portion 18 a, and an engaging portion 18 d is formed in accordancewith the external shape of the boss 17 b of the contact presser member17 by processing the central circular area of the main portion 18 a intoa tapering form which protrudes leftwards towards the center. Engagingholes 18 e are formed in the main portion 18 a of the cover 18 at a90-degree interval in the peripheral direction so as to surround theengaging portion 18 d. As shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and 12, positioningportions 18 f protrude rightwards from end portions of two of thecontact portions 18 b, that is, the contact portion 18 b protrudingforward and obliquely upwards and the contact portion 18 b protrudingrearward and obliquely downward. Although not shown in detail, the frontends of the positioning portions 18 f and 18 f are bent at substantiallyright angles and protrude outward.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 13, the base member 19 is formed of polyamide(PA)/nylon resin, more specifically, nylon 6 so that it absorbsvibration and has strength, and has the form of a substantially circularreceptacle which opens towards the left. The base member 19 comprises asubstantially disk-shaped bottom portion 19 a, a peripheral wall 19 bthat is provided along the outer edge of the bottom portion 19 a, andsecuring protrusions 19 c protruding leftwards from locationscorresponding to the locations of the engaging holes 18 e of the cover18 of the bottom portion 19 a. The inside diameter of the peripheralwall 19 b of the base member 19 is substantially the same as the outsidediameter of the contact presser member 17. Engaging grooves 19 d and 19d extending towards the left and right for engaging the respectivepositioning portions 18 f and 18 f of the cover 18 are formed at theforward and obliquely upper location and the rearward and obliquelylower location of the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 19b, respectively.

A wire 21 having two types of stationary contacts 21 a and stationarycontacts 21 b, formed of a copper alloy plated with silver, areintegrally formed with the left surface of the bottom portion 19 a ofthe base member 19 by insert molding. The arrangement patterns of thestationary contacts 21 a and stationary contacts 21 b are such that, forexample, the stationary contacts 21 a are disposed in a circulararrangement and the stationary contacts 21 b are disposed in an annulararrangement so as to surround the stationary contacts 21 a. Thelocations where the stationary protrusions 19 c of the base member 19are disposed are displaced 90 degrees in the peripheral direction fromthe locations of the stationary contacts 21 a and the stationarycontacts 21 b.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the contact member 20 has movable contacts 20a disposed in correspondence with the four end portions, the top,bottom, front, and rear end portions, and the central portion of thecross-shaped keytop 15 b of the operating key 15. The contact member 20comprises five movable contacts 20 a having the shape of a flat dome andformed of stainless steel (SUS), which is a resilient material, and afilm 20 b which is formed of polyethylene terephtalate resin (PET)having heat resistance and which has the movable contacts 20 a securedthereto. Holes 20 c for inserting the respective securing protrusions 19c of the base member 19 are formed in the contact member 20.

By securing the movable contacts 20 a to the film 20 b of the contactmember 20, the film 20 b positions and integrally forms the movablecontacts 20 a, insulates the movable contacts 20 a from other structuralmembers of the control switch 14, and, as described later, absorbs, forexample, sound when the movable contacts 20 a are pressed and flexed bythe operating key 15 or the contact presser member 17 and when themovable contacts 20 a are restored to their original shapes. Therefore,the contact member 20 has as a whole the shape of a circular sheethaving five leftwardly bulging portions formed at the movable contacts20 a and fitting exactly to the bottom portion of the base member 19.

In the control switch 14 having the above-described structure, thestructural members are assembled in the following way.

First, the contact member 20 is placed on the bottom surface of the basemember 19 while inserting the securing protrusions 19 c of the basemember 19 into the respective holes 20 c of the contact member 20. Bythis, the movable contacts 20 a of the movable member 20 are positionedon the left side of the stationary contacts 21 a and the stationarycontacts 21 b, and the outer peripheral portions of the movable contacts20 a are in contact with the stationary contacts 21 b.

As shown in FIG. 13, the contact presser member 17 is placed onto theleft side of the contact member 20 that has been placed on the bottomsurface of the base member 19. At this time, the securing protrusions 19c of the base member 19 protrude from portions between the spokes 17 cof the contact presser member 17.

Next, the cover 18 is placed onto the contact presser member 17. Morespecifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, the engaging grooves 19 d ofthe base member 19 and the positioning portions 18 f of the cover 18 arealigned, the engaging portion 18 d of the cover 18 is superimposed uponthe boss 17 b of the contact presser member 17, and the securingprotrusions 19 c of the base member 19 protruding from the portionsbetween the spokes 17 c of the contact presser member 17 are insertedinto the respective engaging holes 18 e of the cover 18. By this, at thecover 18, ends of the securing protrusions 19 c protrude slightlyleftwards from the respective engaging holes 18 e, the engagingprotrusions 17 d protrude leftwards from portions between two adjacentcontact portions 18 b of the cover 18, ends of the contact portions 18 bcontact the left end surfaces of the peripheral wall 19 b of the basemember 19, and the positioning portions 18 f engage their respectiveengaging grooves 19 d of the base member 19. Then, the ends of thesecuring protrusions 19 c of the base member 19 protruding leftwardsfrom their respective engaging holes 18 e of the cover 18 are caulked(welded), so that the cover 18 is secured to the base member 19.

As shown in FIG. 7, by securing the cover 18 to the base member 19, thepresser protrusions 17 e of the contact presser member 17 and themovable contacts 20 a of the contact member 20 are aligned. Accordingly,the presser protrusions 17 e of the contact presser member 17 face thestationary contacts 21 a and the stationary contacts 21 b of the wiring21 at the base member 19 with the film 20 b and the movable contacts 20a of the contact member 20 being disposed between the presserprotrusions 17 e and the stationary contacts 21 a and the stationarycontacts 21 b.

Lastly, the operating key 15 is mounted to the base member 19. Morespecifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the supporting shaft 15 c ofthe operating key 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 17 g of thecontact presser member 17 that is disposed within the base member 19,and the engaging pawls 17 f at the engaging protrusions 17 d of thecontact presser member 17 that protrude from the portions between thecontact portions 18 b of the cover 18 and the right open edge definingthe engaging holes of the respective engaging protrusions 15 d of theoperating key 15 engage each other. By this, the operating key 15 andthe base member 19 are integrally formed. When the supporting shaft 15 cof the operating key 15 is inserted in the insertion hole 17 g of thecontact presser member 17, the end portion of the supporting shaft 15 cprotrudes slightly rightwards from the insertion hole 17 g and onlycontacts the surface of the contact member 20. As shown in FIG. 12, theresilient member 16 externally fitted to the base of the supportingshaft 15 c of the operating key 15 is positioned on the left side of theboss 17 b of the contact presser member 17, and within the fitting hole18 c of the cover 18 that is superimposed upon the boss 17 b.

In the case where the control switch 14 is incorporated in the housingof the body 2 of the video camera 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when any ofthe four end portions of the cross-shaped keytop 15 b corresponding tothe direction selection switches A, B, C, and D, respectively, forexample, when the direction selection switch D is pressed towards theright, as shown in FIG. 10, the operating key 15 and the contact pressermember 17 are integrally slightly tilted rearwards with the contactportion of the end of the supporting shaft 15 c of the operating key 15and the contact member 20 serving as a fulcrum. At this time, theresilient member 16 externally fitted to the base of the supportingshaft 15 c of the operating key 15 is partly flexed within the fittinghole 18 c of the cover 18 as a result of being pressed by the supportingshaft 15 c as the operating key 15 tilts. Since the correspondingpresser protrusions 17 e of the contact presser member 17 press thecontact member 20 towards the right, the movable contact 20 a that isdisposed in correspondence with the position of the direction selectionswitch D is flexed and deformed into the shape of a flat plate, so thatthe central portion of the movable contact 20 a comes into contact withthe respective stationary contact 21 a of the wire 21. This causes ashort circuit to occur between the stationary contact 21 a and thestationary contact 21 b, so that the contacts are closed, therebyturning on the direction selection switch D.

When the end portion of the cross-shaped keytop 15 b corresponding tothe direction selection switch D is released, the flexed movable contact20 a is restored to its original shape. More specifically, the movablecontact 20 a of the contact member 20 separates from the wire stationarycontact 21 a to open the stationary contacts 21 a and 21 b, so that thedirection selection switch D is turned off. At this time, by addition ofthe restoring force of the resilient member 16 to the restoring force ofthe movable contact 20 a, the operating key 15 returns to its originalstate. Although the aforementioned description is given in terms of thestate of the control switch 14 when the direction selection switch D isoperated, the operation of the other parts of the control switch 14 whenthe other switches A, B, and C are operated is the same as that when theswitch D is operated, except that the tilting direction of the operatingkey 15 and the locations of the stationary contacts 21 a and 21 b of thewire 21 that are short-circuited are different.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the central portion of the control switch 14corresponding to the determination switch E is pressed towards theright, with the position of the contact presser member 17 remaining thesame, the supporting shaft 15 c of the operating key 15 slidesrightwards within the insertion hole 17 g of the boss 17 b, and, at thesame time, the engaging pawls 17 f of the engaging protrusions 17 d moverelatively leftwards within the engaging holes of the respectiveengaging protrusions 15 d of the operating key 15, so that the operatingkey 15 moves rightwards as a whole. At this time, since the resilientmember 16 fitted to the base of the supporting shaft 15 c of theoperating key 15 is interposed between the right surface of theoperating key 15 and the boss 17 b of the contact presser member 17, theresilient member 16 is compressed and deformed as a whole due to areduction in the space between the right surface of the operating key 15and the boss 17 b. The amount by which the supporting shaft 15 c of theoperating key 15 protrudes rightwards from the insertion hole 17 g ofthe boss 17 b of the contact presser member 17 is increased. By this,the end of the supporting shaft 15 c presses the contact member 20rightwards, causing the center movable contact 20 a of the contactmember 20 to be flexed and deformed into the shape of a flat plate. Thedeformation of the center movable contact 20 a causes the centralportion of the movable contact 20 a to come into contact with thecorresponding stationary contact 21 a of the wire 21, so that a shortcircuit occurs between the stationary contacts 21 a and 21 b, therebyclosing the contacts, as a result of which the determination switch E isturned on.

When the central portion of the keytop 15 b of the switch 14corresponding to the determination switch E is released, the flexedmovable contact 20 a is restored to its original state, that is, themovable contact 20 a of the contact member 20 separates from the wirestationary contact 21 a to open the stationary contacts 21 a and 21 b,so that the determination switch E is turned off. At this time, byaddition of the restoring force of the resilient member 16 to therestoring force of the movable contact 20 a, the supporting shaft 15 cof the operating key 15 slides leftwards within the insertion hole 17 gof the contact presser member 17, and, at the same time, the engagingpawls 17 f of the engaging protrusions 17 d slide relatively rightwardswithin the engaging holes of the engaging protrusions 15 d of theoperating key 15, so that the operating key 15 as a whole movesleftwards and is restored to its original state.

As described above, when the resilient member 16 is externally fitted tothe base of the supporting shaft 15 c of the operating key 15 in orderto assemble the control switch 14, the resilient member 16 is positionedon the left side of the boss 17 b of the contact presser member 17, andis superimposed upon the boss 17 b. Therefore, when any one of theportions of the keytop 15 b is pressed towards the right in order toturn on the corresponding one of the direction selection switches A, B,C, D, and the determination switch E, the resilient member 16 disposedbetween the operating key 15 and the boss 17 b of the contact pressermember 17 is deformed and flexed. When the operating key 15 is released,the restoring force of the resilient member 16 for returning to itsoriginal shape is added to the restoring force of the flexed movablecontact 20 a, so that the operating key 15 is quickly restored to itsoriginal state.

Next, the various operations that are performed using the control switch14 will be described in detail.

The video camera 1 can be used by switching between, for example, threemodes, a camera mode, a network mode, and a video mode, by a modechange-over switch (not shown). The camera mode is for recording a shotimage onto a recording medium. The network mode is for networkfunctions, such as transmitting and receiving mails and browsing ahomepage, which are used by connection to the Internet. The video modeis for replaying or editing an image recorded on the recording medium.In the network mode and the video mode, various operations are carriedout using the control switch 14 primarily in the reversed accommodatedstate.

In the basic operations of the control switch 14, any one of the fourend portions of the cross-shaped keytop 15 b of the operating key 15corresponding to the direction selection switches A, B, C and D ispressed with, for example, a finger to turn on the corresponding switch;a cursor, a pointer, or an inverted item display on the image displaysurface 6 a of the image display section 3 and the EVF (not shown) ismoved to a particular item; and the central portion of the keytop 15 bis pressed to turn on the determination switch E and to determine theselection.

For example, when the brightness of the LCD panel 6 is adjusted usingthe control switch 14, the control switch 14 is operated in thefollowing way.

When, using any of the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D, thecursor, pointer, or inverted item display on the image display surface 6a is moved horizontally and vertically within the image display surface6 a to a function button 22 which is always displayed on the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3 and within the EVF,and, then, when the determination switch E is pressed, a determinationis made that the function button 22 is selected, thereby switching thescreen display of the image display surface 6 a to that shown in FIG.15.

Next, since a plurality of items 24 and an item 23 for adjusting thebrightness of the panel are displayed on the image display surface 6 a,when the cursor, pointer, or the inverted item display is moved to theitem 23 using any of the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D,and, then, when the determination switch E is pressed, the screendisplay of the image display surface 6 a is switched to that shown inFIG. 16.

Then, similarly, using any of the direction selection switches A, B, C,and D, the detailed operations related to adjusting the brightness ofthe LCD panel 6 of the image display section 3 are properly carried outon the screen shown in FIG. 16 in accordance with the screen display onthe image display surface 6 a. Then, the cursor, pointer, or inverteditem display is moved to the determination button 25 using any one ofthe direction selection switches A, B, C, and D, and the determinationswitch E is pressed to adjust the brightness of the panel at an adjustedvalue.

In the video camera 1, items which are displayed on the image displaysurface 6 a of the image display section 3 and within the EVF and whichcan be used for performing operations using the control switch 14include, for example, in the camera mode “menu,” “feeder,” “self-timer,”“memory mix,” “camera brightness,” “focus,” “panel brightness,”“volume,” “end search,” “title,” “digital effect,” “counter reset,” and“date set”; and in the video mode “menu,” “volume,” “title,”“multi-screen search,” “replay,” “rewind,” “replay/pause,” “fastforward,” “panel brightness,” “digital effect,” “end search,” “datacode,” “counter reset,” and “recording.”

As mentioned above, in the video camera 1, the image display section 3is foldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported by the hinge mechanism8, and the image display section 3 is folded and unfolded in a range of90 degrees with the folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a as the center, and isrotated in a range of 270 degrees from the 90-degree unfolded state withthe rotational axis 8 b as the center in order to be placed in theaccommodated state, unfolded state, ordinary shooting state, low-angleshooting state, reversed accommodated state, and forwardly facingshooting state.

In the ordinary shooting state and low-angle shooting state, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 4, the body 2 including the vertically long rectangularhousing is used by holding it with the right hand while it is keptvertical, and the control switch 14 is operated while looking at theimage display of the image display surface 6 a of the image displaysection 3 or the image display of the EVF. In this case, the controlswitch 14 is operated with, for example, a finger of the left hand. Inthe ordinary shooting state and low-angle shooting state, when the body2 is used by holding it with the right hand while it is kept vertical,the control switch 14 is operated with, for example, a finger of theright hand while looking at the screen display of the image displaysurface 6 a of the image display section 3 or the image display of theEVF.

In the forwardly facing shooting state, the body 2 is used by holding itwith the left hand while it is kept vertical, and the control switch 14is operated using, for example, a finger of the right hand while lookingat the screen display of the image display surface 6 a of the imagedisplay section 3. Even in the forwardly facing shooting state, when thebody 2 is used by holding it with the right hand while it is keptvertical, the control switch 14 is operated with, for example, a fingerof the left hand while looking at the screen display of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3.

However, in the reversed accommodated state, as shown in FIG. 3, thevertically long rectangular body 2 of the video camera 1 is primarilyused with its long side positioned horizontally as a result of settingit horizontally. In this case, the body 2 is held with the right hand.As shown in FIG. 3, since the control switch 14 is positioned towardsthe right side on the body 2, it is convenient to operate the controlswitch 14 with the right thumb.

When the body 2 is used with its long side positioned horizontally as aresult of setting it horizontally, the portion that is held with theright hand of the body 2 corresponds to the portion that accommodatesthe taking lens 4 of the body 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when thevideo camera 1 is formed so that the top portion of the body 2 is formedwith a cylindrical shape in accordance with the shape of a lens barrelof the taking lens 4, the body 2 becomes more easier to hold with theright hand than the body 2 shown in FIG. 3 due to this cylindricalshape. Therefore, the video camera 1 can be more easily held, and thecontrol switch 14 can be easily operated by simply extending the rightthumb while keeping one's right hand on the video camera 1.

As described above in the video camera 1, in the reversed accommodatedstate, the body 2 can be used by holding it with its long sidepositioned horizontally as a result of setting it horizontally. In thiscase, in the video camera 1, the body 2 is rotated clockwise by 90degrees from the vertical state with the left surface of the imagedisplay section 3 faced upward.

Therefore, since the body 2 is rotated, in the case where the directionselection switches A, B, C, and D of the control switch 14 which arekept in correspondence with the vertical direction of the display imageof the image display surface 6 a that is used in the vertical state areused in the reversed accommodated state shown in FIG. 3, when one triesto move the cursor, pointer, or inverted item display vertically on theimage display surface 6 a, the switches A and B which are positioned onthe right and left with respect to the image display surface 6 a must beused to move it, whereas, when one tries to move the cursor, pointer, orinverted item display horizontally, the switches C and D which arepositioned on the top and bottom with respect to the image displaysurface 6 a must be used to move it.

This makes it very difficult for the user to operate the control switch14 with ease. This is because, in the reversed accommodated state, thevertical and horizontal directions in the display screen of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3 do not sensuouslymatch the vertical and horizontal directions to which the directionselection switches A, B, C, and D of the control switch 14, used to movethe cursor, pointer, or inverted item display displayed on the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3, correspond.

To overcome this problem in the video camera 1, in the reversedaccommodated state, the directions to which the direction selectionswitches A, B, C, and D of the control switch 14 correspond are changed.More specifically, the directions to which the direction selectionswitches A, B, C, and D of the control switch 14 correspond are rotatedcounterclockwise by 90 degrees (hereinafter referred to as “rotating thedirections”). The directions of the display image on the image displaysurface 6 a to which the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D ofthe control switch 14 correspond are, in the state in which thedirections are not rotated, such that the switch A corresponds to up,switch B corresponds to down, switch C corresponds to left, and switch Dcorresponds to right, as mentioned above (initial state).

In the video camera 1, the ON/OFF states of the three detecting means11, 12, and 13 in the accommodated state, unfolded state, ordinaryshooting state, low-angle shooting state, reversed accommodated state,and forwardly facing shooting state are input to a system controller(not shown), and, by combination of the states of the three respectivedetecting means 11, 12, and 13, a determination is made as to whichstate the image display section 3 is in (at least, a distinction is madebetween the reversed accommodated state and the other states), and theON/OFF setting states of electrical power application to the LCD panel 6including supplying of an image signal, the ON/OFF setting states ofinversion of the display screen of the LCD panel 6, and the ON/OFFsetting states of rotation of the directions of the control switch 14are such as to optimally correspond to each other.

Table 1 shows the relationship between each state resulting from thecombination of folding, unfolding, and rotation of the image displaysection 3 with the ON/OFF states of the folding/unfolding detectingmeans 11, folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12, and the rotationdetecting means 13, the ON/OFF setting states of the application ofelectrical power to the LCD panel 6, the ON/OFF setting states of therotation of the directions of the control switch 14, and the ON/OFFsetting states of the inversion of the display screen.

TABLE 1 STATE OF IMAGE DISPLAY FOLDING/ SETTING OF SECTION/ FOLDING/UNFOLDING SETTING OF ROTATION OF FOLDING/ UNFOLDING ANGLE ROTATIONAPPLICATION DIRECTIONS SETTING OF UNFOLDING DETECTING DETECTINGDETECTING OF POWER TO OF CONTROL INVERSION ANGLE (*) MEANS 11 MEANS 12MEANS 13 LCD PANEL SWITCH OF DISPLAY FOLDED ON OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF(ACCOM- MODATED STATE)/0 UNFOLDED OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF (UNFOLDEDSTATE)/0 UNFOLDED OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF (ORDINARY SHOOTING STATE)/90UNFOLDED OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF (LOW-ANGLE SHOOTING STATE)/180 FOLDED OFFOFF OFF ON ON OFF (REVERSED ACCOM- MODATED STATE)/180 UNFOLDED OFF ON ONON OFF ON (FORWARDLY FACING SHOOTING STATE)/225- 270

Here, when each state of the image display section 3 is considered inaccordance with the actual state of use of the video camera 1, it isnecessary to apply electrical power to the LCD panel 6 in the statesother the accommodated state; to rotate the directions of the controlswitch 14 only in the reversed accommodated state; and to invert thedisplay screen only in the forwardly facing shooting state. In thereversed accommodated state, it is necessary to apply electrical powerto the LCD panel 6 and to rotate the directions of the control switch,but unnecessary to invert the display screen.

Since the folding/unfolding detecting means 11 is formed so as to beturned on only in the accommodated state, the state of thefolding/unfolding detecting means 11 and the application of electricalpower to the LCD panel 6 simply correspond in a ratio of 1 to 1, sothat, when the folding/unfolding detecting means 11 is turned on, thesetting of the application of electrical power to the LCD panel 6 is inan off state. Similarly, since the rotation detecting means 13 is formedso as to be kept on when the angle of rotation of the image displaysection 3 is within the range of from 225 to 270 degrees, whichcorresponds to the forwardly facing shooting state, the state of therotation detecting means 13 and the setting of the inversion of thedisplay screen simply correspond in a ratio of 1 to 1, so that, when therotation detecting means 13 is turned on, the setting of the inversionof the display screen is in an on state.

However, since the folding/unfolding detecting means 12 is so formed soas to be turned on when the image display section 3 is unfolded to anangle of 90 degrees, it is turned off in the ordinary accommodated stateand the reversed accommodated state. Depending on the state of thefolding/unfolding angle detecting means 12, the detecting means 12 canonly distinguish between the image display section 3 which is in any oneof the following four states, the unfolded state, ordinary shootingstate, low-angle shooting state, and forwardly facing shooting state,and the image display section 3 in either of the following two states,the ordinary accommodated state and reversed accommodated state, so thatthe ON/OFF state of the folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12 andthe ON/OFF setting state of the rotation of the directions of thecontrol switch 14 can no longer correspond with each other in a simpleratio.

For example, in the case where the ON/OFF state of the folding/unfoldingangle detecting means 12 and the ON/OFF setting state of the rotation ofthe directions of the control switch 14 correspond with each other in asimple ratio, when the image display section 3 is even slightly foldedfrom its 90-degree unfolded state, the folding/unfolding angle detectingswitch is switched off, so that the setting of the rotation of thedirections of the control switch is brought into an on state.Accordingly, even in the ordinary accommodated state, the setting of therotation of the directions of the control switch is brought into an onstate. However, in the ordinary accommodated state, although the imagedisplay section 3 is not used because the setting of the application ofelectrical power to the LCD panel is off and the image display surface 6a does not face the outside, shooting using the EVF, etc., may beperformed. Therefore, when the setting of the rotation of the directionsof the control switch is on at this time, the vertical and horizontaldirections based on the screen display of the EVF and the vertical andhorizontal directions to which the direction selection switches A, B, C,and D, used to, for example, move the cursor, pointer, or inverted itemdisplay on the image display surface 6 a of the image display section 3,correspond, do not sensuously match.

As shown in Table 1, the reversed accommodated state results from simplyfolding the image display section 3 with the image display surface 6 afacing the outside from the low-angle shooting state. Therefore, whenthe image display section 3 is folded from the low-angle shooting statein which only the folding/unfolding detecting angle means 12 is turnedon, the folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12 is also turned off,so that all three of the detecting means are turned off.

In this way, since a distinction cannot be made between the accommodatedstate and the reversed accommodated state from only the ON/OFF states ofthe folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12, in the video camera 1,the rotation of the directions of the control switch 14 is performedonly when all of the folding/unfolding detecting means 11,folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12, and rotation detecting means12 are turned off. When any one of the folding/unfolding detecting means11, folding/unfolding angle detecting means 12, and rotation detectingmeans 12 is turned on, the directions of the control switch 14 are notrotated. When the state of the image display section 3 changes from thereversed accommodated state in which the directions of the controlswitch 14 are rotated to any other state (here, the folding/unfoldingangle detecting means 12 is turned on), the directions of the controlswitch 14 are quickly restored to their initial directions.

In the reversed accommodated state in which the setting of the rotationof the directions of the control switch 14 is on, the directionscorresponding to the direction selection switches A, B, C, and D of thecontrol switch 14 are rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees from theinitial directions so that they match the vertical and horizontaldirections of the screen display of the image display surface 6 a of theimage display section 3.

In other words, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the cursor, pointer, orinverted item display can be moved in a particular direction on theimage display surface 6 a of the image display section 3 by pressing anyone of the switches A, B, C, and D that are sensuously positioned incorrespondence with the vertical and horizontal directions of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3 while looking at theimage display surface 6 a of the image display section 3. At this time,the directions that correspond to the direction selection switches A, B,C, and D are such that the upward direction of the image display surface6 a of the image display section 3 corresponds to the directionselection switch C, the downward direction of the image display surface6 a of the image display section 3 corresponds to the directionselection switch D, the leftward direction of the image display surface6 a of the image display section 3 corresponds to the directionselection switch B, and the rightward direction of the image displaysurface 6 a of the image display section 3 corresponds to the directionselection switch A. Therefore, it is possible to considerably enhancethe operability in the above-described video camera 1 when, for example,using a network function in the network mode or replaying or editing animage recorded on a recording medium in the video mode when the imagedisplay section 3 is in the reversed accommodated state.

Accordingly, in the video camera 1, when the video display section 3 isin the reversed accommodated state in which the body 2 is used with itslong side positioned horizontally as a result of setting ithorizontally, the control switch 14 is disposed at a location where itcan be easily operated with the thumb of the right hand holding the body2, and the directions of the control switch 14 correspond to thevertical and horizontal directions of the screen display of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3 in the reversedaccommodated state and the vertically used body 2 is automaticallyrotated by 90 degrees. Therefore, when the body 2 is used vertically andwhen it is used horizontally, it can be used in an optimal state incorrespondence with the vertical and horizontal directions of the imagedisplay surface 6 a of the image display section 3. Moreover, it is nolonger necessary to provide separate special-purpose switches when thevertically long rectangular video camera 1 is used vertically and whenit is used horizontally, respectively, thereby resulting in advantageouscosts.

In the video camera 1, the body 2 has a housing having a vertically longrectangular shape during ordinary use, and the image display section 3is folded and unfolded with the folding-and-unfolding axis 8 a extendinghorizontally parallel to the optical axis of the taking lens as thecenter of rotation and is accommodated in the form of a vertically longrectangle along the side surface of the body. Therefore, withoutsacrificing the visibility of the image display section 3, the videocamera 1 can be reduced in size as a whole, and, if the body 2 is of thesame size, the image display section 3 can have a larger display surface6 a than an image display section which is unfolded horizontally.

The structure of the control switch used in the video camera 1 is notlimited to that of the above-described control switch 14. Instead ofusing the control switch 14, it is possible to use, for example, acontrol switch in which four switches having small circular operatingkeys are disposed at end portions of a cross-shaped portion, one switchsimilar to these switches is separately disposed in the center of thesefour switches, and these five switches are used as the directionselection switches A, B, C, and D and the determination switch E.

Although, in the above-described embodiment, the imagerecording/replaying device of the present invention is described takingas an example the video camera 1 including an image display sectionwhich is folded and unfolded with respect to the body with thefolding/unfolding axis disposed horizontally and parallel to the opticalaxis of the taking lens as the center, the present may be applied to amore generally used image recording/replaying device including an imagedisplay section which is folded and unfolded with respect to the bodywith a folding-and-unfolding axis disposed perpendicular to the opticalaxis of the taking lens as a center.

The specific forms and structures of each portion illustrated in theembodiment are only examples in carrying out the present invention, sothat they are not to be construed as limiting the technical scope of thepresent invention.

As is clear from the foregoing description, the imagerecording/replaying device of the present invention includes an imagedisplay section foldably, unfoldably, and rotatably supported at a bodyincluding a taking lens. The image recording/replaying device comprisesa control switch comprising an operating key and a plurality of contactsdisposed at end portions and an intersection of a cross-shaped portionof the operating key in correspondence with end portions and the centralportion of the operating key, in which, by pressing any one of the endportions and the central portion of the operating key, the contactdisposed in correspondence with the pressed portion is closed. Thecontrol switch further comprises direction selection switches which aresuch that particular directions within a display screen of the imagedisplay section correspond to the directions of the positions of thefour end portions of the operating key. The direction selection switchesare such that the directions used within the display screen of the imagedisplay section and corresponding to the directions of the positions ofthe four end portions of the operating key are changed in accordancewith a change in the orientation of the image display section resultingfrom rotation of the image display section.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in the various modes ofuse of the image recording/replaying device, the control switch can beused with ease in accordance with the orientation of the image displaysection.

In the present invention, the body has a housing having a verticallylong rectangular form at the time of ordinary use of the body, and theimage display section is folded and unfolded with afolding-and-unfolding axis extending horizontally and parallel to anoptical axis of the taking lens as the center of rotation, and isaccommodated in the vertically long rectangular form along a sidesurface of the body. Therefore, without sacrificing the visibility ofthe image display section, the video camera can be reduced in size as awhole, and, if the body is of the same size, the image display sectioncan have a larger image display surface than an image display sectionwhich is unfolded horizontally.

In the present invention, when the body is used by holding the body witha long side set horizontally while an image display surface of the imagedisplay section is accommodated facing the outside, the control switchis disposed at a location where the control switch is easily operatedwith a hand holding the body. Therefore, it is possible to considerablyenhance the operability of the control switch when, for example, editingor replaying an image recorded on a recording medium.

1. A hand-held image recording/replaying device including an imagedisplay section having an image display surface, said image displaysection being foldably, unfoldably and rotatably supported at a bodyhaving relatively parallel long sides and parallel short sides, the longsides being perpendicular to and extending between the short sides, saidbody housing a taking lens disposed in the vicinity of one of said shortsides and said one short side being cylindrically shaped in accordancewith a lens barrel shape, the taking lens having an optical axis, theimage recording/replaying device comprising: a hand-operated controlswitch mounted at a predetermined location on said body proximate acorner established by said one short side and an adjacent long side ofsaid body and comprising first and second pairs of contact elements andan operating key, said first pair of contact elements being manuallyoperable in a pressing direction to cause horizontal movement orhorizontal selection of a display element within a display screen ofsaid image display section and said second pair of contact elementsbeing manually operable in said pressing direction to cause verticalmovement or vertical selection of a display element within said displayscreen, said pressing direction being substantially perpendicular to theoptical axis of said taking lens; a rotation detecting section operableto detect that the image display section has been rotated by an angle ofapproximately 90° when said image recording/replaying device isre-oriented, said rotation detecting section including plural detectors,at least one of which detects when said image display section is rotatedby more than a predetermined angle and at least another of which detectsthe folded and unfolded state of said image display section; whereinwhen one of said detectors detects that said image display section isrotated by approximately 90°, said first pair of contact elements causesaid vertical movement or vertical selection of a display element andsaid second pair of contact elements cause said horizontal movement orhorizontal selection of a display element; said cylindrically shapedshort side of the body housing the taking lens being mounted as ahand-holding grip of said image recording/replaying device; and when auser holds the body by gripping the cylindrically shaped short side ofthe body in the user's hand such that said relatively long sides aredisposed in a horizontal orientation while, at the same time, said otherdetector detects that said image display section is folded on said bodysuch that said image display surface faces the outside to be viewed bythe user, the control switch is exposed to the outside withoutinterference from said image display section and is easily operated bythe thumb of the very same hand of the user that holds the grip.
 2. Animage recording/replaying device according to claim 1, wherein the bodyhas a vertically long rectangular form at the time of ordinary use ofthe body, and wherein the image display section is folded and unfoldedwith a folding-and-unfolding axis extending horizontally and parallel tothe optical axis of the taking lens as the center of rotation, and isaccommodated in the vertically long rectangular form along a sidesurface of the body.